Sport

(Reuters) - Striker Fernando Torres is "conscious and lucid" after being taken to hospital with suspected head trauma sustained during Thursday's 1-1 draw at Deportivo La Coruna, his club Atletico Madrid have confirmed.

(Reuters) - The Waikato Chiefs capitalised on the red card shown to Steve Luatua on the stroke of halftime to record a comfortable 41-26 Super Rugby victory over the Auckland Blues in Hamilton on Friday.

(Reuters) - West Ham United rejected bids from Chinese Super League clubs for striker Andy Carroll, manager Slaven Bilic has confirmed, saying the Premier League side have no plans to sell one of their "best players".

(Reuters) - Former Chelsea midfielder Dennis Wise has likened N'Golo Kante to club great Claude Makelele and said the 25-year-old's stellar performance is one of the reasons the London side appear to be cruising towards the Premier League title.

(Reuters) - Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero is determined to produce his best form in the final three months of the campaign before he holds talks on his future at the Premier League club in June.

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's professional soccer players are pressing ahead with their plan to strike this weekend over millions of dollars in salary arrears, prompting the Argentine FA (AFA) to threaten clubs with sanctions for delaying the resumption of the league.

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Off-spinner Jeetan Patel's ability to turn the ball away from lefthanded batsmen has earned him a recall to New Zealand's squad for the first test against South Africa next week.

(Reuters) - Lee Westwood spoke about his "ballistic" ball after bogeying the final two holes to fall into a share of the lead with Phil Mickelson and four others after the first round at the WGC-Mexico Championship at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City on Thursday.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Wallabies flanker Scott Fardy will leave Australia for Irish provincial team Leinster at the end of the season but his international and ACT Brumbies team mate Sam Carter has signed a contract extension to stay at home until 2019.

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Fernando Torres's head injury shocked his Atletico Madrid team mates as the striker had to be carried off on a stretcher towards the end of Thursday's 1-1 draw at Deportivo La Coruna.

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann scored with a brilliant dipping shot to secure a 1-1 draw at Deportivo La Coruna in La Liga on Thursday although the goal was overshadowed by Fernando Torres being carried off on a stretcher wearing a neck brace.

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina flyhalf Nicolas Sanchez makes his first Super Rugby appearance of the season on Saturday among three changes the Jaguares have made for their second match against Stormers in Cape Town.

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Formula One world champions Mercedes called an early end to their first pre-season test on Thursday with Lewis Hamilton failing to get on track in the morning after an apparent electrical problem.

PRETORIA (Reuters) - Gregory Havret came storming out early on Thursday in the opening round of the Tshwane Open at the Pretoria Country Club, but his blistering 65 was later matched by South Africa’s Haydn Porteous and Swedish rookie Alexander Bjork to ensure a three-way tie for the lead.

LAHTI, Finland (Reuters) - Sweden pipped Finland to the silver medal after an epic sprint finish in the 4 x 5 km relay in Lahti on Thursday as Norway added another easy victory at the Nordic World Ski Championships.

SEOUL/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese buyers including materials giant Amer International and CITIC Securities Co Ltd are readying a rival 246 million pounds bid for English soccer club Southampton, a person with knowledge of the plans told Reuters.

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Barcelona fans will let Luis Enrique know their true feelings about his planned departure when the champions host Celta Vigo on Saturday, looking to consolidate their new-found lead at the top of the La Liga table.

ZURICH (Reuters) - FIFA is still struggling to regain the trust of soccer fans, with more than half those interviewed saying they had no confidence in the sport's governing body, according to a survey published Thursday.

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Gareth Bale apologised for getting sent off in Real Madrid's 3-3 draw at home to Las Palmas on Wednesday, which saw Real drop off the top of the La Liga table, but he said his actions did not warrant a dismissal.

LONDON (Reuters) - If ever there was a good day to bury bad news, Liverpool timed it to perfection on Monday, when a dreadful 3-1 defeat by Leicester City became a mere sideshow in the post-Claudio Ranieri circus.

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Luis Enrique's announcement that he will quit Barcelona at the end of the season was expected, but the timing - at the end of a news conference after his side thrashed Sporting Gijon 6-1 - came as a surprise.

(Reuters) - Arsene Wenger has played down speculation linking him with a move to Spanish champions Barcelona at the end of the season, saying his first preference would be to extend his stay at Arsenal.

BENGALURU (Reuters) - India coach Anil Kumble urged his team to move on from the debacle in the opening test against Australia as the hosts seek a series-levelling victory in the second match starting on Saturday.

(Reuters) - Borussia Moenchengladbach are hoping captain Lars Stindl's stellar goal run does not dry up when they look to continue their Bundesliga recovery on Saturday in the first of three meetings this month with Schalke 04.

(Reuters) - Hull City manager Marco Silva has warned his players about the challenge they face in Saturday's Premier League trip to Leicester City after the champions raised their game following the sacking of manager Claudio Ranieri.

BENGALURU (Reuters) - Fast bowler Mitchell Starc remains Australia's most potent weapon with the ball despite their spinners stealing the show in the series opener against India, team mate Mitchell Marsh said on Thursday.

TOKYO (Reuters) - The club scheduled to host golf at the 2020 Tokyo Games appears to be moving towards a policy of accepting women as full members and the issue will likely be resolved by June, International Olympic Committee Vice President John Coates said.